Jared Allen

Drafted in the fourth round primarily for special-teams value, this player defied every expectation: small-school pedigree, sub-elite strength metrics, and off-field turbulence all raised doubts. On the field, he answered them with relentless production, peaking in a historic pass-rush season that arrived at the exact moment the market for defensive ends was being reset league-wide.Rather than committing to a record-breaking contract during a roster reset, the Chiefs turned toward the draft, extracting premium future capital from a Vikings team determined to contend immediately. What followed was a rare trade tree that delivered defining franchise legacies on both sides of the deal, reshaping the identity of the Vikings defense while fueling a new era in the Chiefs backfield.